Nah, I have to disagree. This highly entertaining thread contains some of the best posts I have ever read... that cut to the heart of the matter exposing the ugly side of this fringe energy field.
A must have eye-opener and learning experience for any newcomer.
LIB wrote:A good way I thought to use solar power is thru heat exchanger with water pipes to drive steam turbines..
This takes space and isn't reliable.. Clouds etc..
I agree, harnessing free solar energy to heat water and drive a turbine is one of the most cost effective and non-polluting electricity generation means.
Reliability can be increased by choosing appropriate power plant sites - desert areas get a lot of sunshine and few clouds. Storing and releasing heated water is another way of increasing reliability and servicing demand at night. Best of all we wouldn't have to invade and subjugate oil rich nations, at staggering economic and human cost, in order to create energy reliability. The real cost of oil is clearly too high for any of us to afford. I think the days of politicians claiming that solar energy can not supply base demand are fast coming to an end.
IMO, large scale solar power stations will become economically competitive with coal and nuclear within 10 years. It has to move forward quickly. While that will be a huge step forward, in 50 years time our grandchildren will probably still curse our names as they struggle with a harsh climate aftermath of our blind addiction to oil.
You are right on the button
Politicians may not like solar or wind energy as yet, but that will change in the next 5 years. The big money and corruption is still with fossil fuel may it be coal or oil, and nuclear energy is also playing with the big boys.
However the free energy companies and their lobbies are increasing in strength and size and are soon to be a force to be reckoned with and very popular with the voting public.
Most people are wrong in thinking that solar is only useful when the sun shines and wind is only useful when the wind blows. Storage is the key point and we are already doing that with our solar hot water heaters. Heat is energy and the storing of heat in different forms is achievable. Wind can create large dams in high mountains and used in a hydro scheme. Solar panels are not as efficient but an increase of their capability is only a few years away.
Politicians and the almighty big dollar with its kickbacks are the only thing standing in our way. (Sorry, not a big fan of “The American way�).
A few years ago. Solar and wind was my only power supply and it worked well, but not as easy as having power laid on and paying for it. I just realized, with the climate change, we are now paying for our power with our off-springs life. (No, I’m not a fanatical greeny) EVG
I know we have the technology, but human loves patching problems quick and dirty instead of evolutionarily..
Maybe the human psyche is the entropic reversal of the system of nature which creates workable organisms. The functioning body the peak, the mind moving downwards. The best we can do is understand what already is to create, so meet and match what has already been done, and it's an upwards climb, because typically mentally we tend towards garbage.
Sigh, Divine Melancholia.
Just thoughts.
meChANical Man.
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"All things move according to the whims of the great magnet"; Hunter S. Thompson.
